Expatriates protest at LA residence of Wang You-theng

NOT WELCOME： The fugitive Rebar founder declined to meet with a Taiwanese association that wants him and his wife to face the music

STAFF WRITER , WITH CNA,LOS ANGELES

Fri, Aug 17, 2007 - Page 3

Representatives of a US-based Taiwanese expatriate organization staged a demonstration outside the Los Angeles residence of fugitive Rebar Asia Pacific Group founder Wang You-theng (王又曾) on Wednesday to urge him to return to Taiwan to face criminal charges.

Members of the Taiwanese Benevolent Association of America, led by president Lo Su-o (羅素娥), made the move after their request to meet with Wang and his wife, Wang Chin She-ying (王金世英), was rejected.

Not getting the opportunity to talk to the Wangs face-to-face, the members displayed posters condemning the couple as "lacking morality and conscience" and urging the couple to return to Taiwan to face justice.

Lo said her association had originally intended to try to persuade the Wangs politely to return to Taiwan.

The association had written to the couple to express their desire to meet them.

The association was informed by Wang's lawyer on Tuesday of Wang's decision to turn down the request, Lo said.

Lo said her association would hound the pair wherever they went because "they have cheated the Taiwanese public out of a lot of money."

Wang was released on bail on Aug. 7 from an immigration holding center in San Pedro, California, where he had been held since Feb. 2 after trying to return to Los Angeles with both his Republic of China and Dominican Republic passports canceled.

Wang is suspected of having embezzled billions of dollars in corporate funds from the Rebar Group before fleeing with his wife to China late last year and then to the US in January.

Taiwanese authorities placed the couple on the country's most-wanted list on Jan. 15 and have been seeking US assistance to have them repatriated.